Jermaine Mitchell adjusting to new role with IronPigs

The former A's prospect bangs out three hits but Buffalo completes sweep with 8-2 win.

IronPigs pitcher Tyler Cloyd gave up nine hits and six runs in six innings. (DENISE SANCHEZ, THE MORNING…)

April 22, 2013|By Jeff Schuler, Of The Morning Call

For the most part, Jermaine Mitchell was an everyday player for the seven years he spent in the Oakland system after being the A's fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft.

That all changed when he signed with the Phillies last winter as a minor league free agent, especially when the organization send outfield prospects Darin Ruf, Tyson Gillies and Leandro Castro to the IronPigs.

Through Lehigh Valley's first 17 games the 28-year-old native Texan has 29 at-bats, a pace that would give him a career-low 245 for the season.

And with Delmon Young set to join the IronPigs on the upcoming road trip, and with a stretch of 16 straight games without a designated hitter, at-bats for the likes of Mitchell and Steve Susdorf could be a scarce commodity for a few weeks.

"It's an adjustment, but it's a grind, and a long year and you never know what can happen," Mitchell said after he had three hits in Buffalo's 8-2 Monday morning win at Coca-Cola Park, completing a four-game sweep by the Bisons (12-4) and running their winning streak to eight. "Whenever I get the chance I just have to make the best of it and go out there and give it my all. That's all I can do."

So far Castro, Gillies and Ruf have combined for 37 of the 51 outfield starts. Mitchell has eight starts and Steve Susdorf 6. Ruf is the only one of the five who has been used as the DH (just one game).

"The lineups have probably been the most challenging thing so far for myself, trying to get guys some at-bats, and it's going to get tougher now that Delmon Young is going to join us and we're playing National League baseball for the next 16 days," manager Dave Brundage said, referring to 16 games against Indianapolis (Pittsburgh) and Louisville (Cincinnati) on the road and at home. "That means only eight guys are playing; guys are going to need to be patient, and I'm going to have to make sure they know that."

Brundage said Young, who began his rehab Sunday with Clearwater, will join the IronPigs (7-10) "Thursday or something like that — if all goes well."

While not an outfielder, the lack of a DH will likely cut into Josh Fields' playing time as well, since Ruf also plays first base a few times a week.

The next few weeks is an opportunity for Fields and Mitchell to catch the Phillies' attention in another way, Fields said.

"There's probably going to be an opportunity to pinch-hit at some point, so you just stay ready," Fields said. "Brundy and [hitting coach Sal Rende] give reports on those at-bats, about how ready you are and your approach. So you have to stay focused and ready."

With Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. watching from the stands, Mitchell used his speed and aggressiveness to set up and score one of the two IronPigs' runs. When Buffalo center fielder Anthony Gose jogged in after Mitchell's routine single up the middle, the IronPig turned on the jets rounding first and slid in safely for a double. He scored on a groundout after moving up on a sacrifice fly.

"Any ball that I hit I'm always thinking two, and if it's in the gap I'm always thinking three," said Mitchell, who raised his average to .276. "If I see an outfielder taking his time going after a ball, I'll try to take [a base] on him."

Amaro made the early morning trip up the turnpike to see Tyler Cloyd, and at the start Amaro and the season's first capacity crowd of 10,100 saw the Cloyd that a year ago was named the International League's top pitcher and earned a late-season audition with the Phillies.

But after retiring the first seven batters he faced, a drag bunt and a hit-and-run single (which would've been a double play had the runner not been started) led to a four-run Buffalo third that featured six hits. After two more scoreless innings, a pair of leadoff walks led to two more Buffalo runs in the sixth.

Overall Cloyd allowed nine hits and six runs while walking three in six innings.

"The first couple innings [Cloyd] was exactly what I saw last year, and then he got some balls in the middle of the plate and they got some pretty good swings on him," said Brundage, who was ejected in the ninth for arguing a balk call against Justin Friend. "To his credit, he did get it back, and he ended up giving us six much-needed innings."

Cody Asche added two of the IronPigs' 12 hits, pushing his hitting streak to six games (11-for-24) that has raised his average from .162 to .279. However, the IronPigs, who are three games under .500 for the first time since finishing 58-86 in 2010, were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while six of Buffalo's 11 hits came with RISP.

"You're not going to win every game, you're not going to lose every game," Mitchell said. "The biggest thing right now is to stay positive and keep playing the game hard; everything else will work out for itself."